Tennis anyone?

If you find yourself all fired up to play tennis watching the U.S. Open, remember that watching elite athletes can be really deceptive.  It may appear as if they hit,  jump and lunge with ease, but tennis is one tough game.

So while Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova are showing us how it’s done during this week’s  tournament,  here’s  a primer for those who want to learn the basics of the game.

Scoring

• Each women’s tennis match is made up of two to three sets (guys play five sets). To win a set, you must win at least six games.
• The games are scored starting at “love” (or zero). From love, the first point is 15, then 30, then 40, which wins the game.

Scoring the Game

• Before serving the score is announced, with server’s score first. So if you’re serving and you have zero and your opponent has 30, say “love-30.”
• The server gets two tries. The serve must go over the net, land in the opposite service box, and bounce once before the opponent returns it.
• If it doesn’t land in the service box,  a second serve is taken. If the second serve also misses, the point is lost.
• If the serve grazes the net but still lands in the service box, the serve doesn’t count, and the server gets a do- over. This is called a “let.”
• If the serve goes in and the opponent returns it, players continue hitting back and forth until someone hits the ball into the net, hits it out of bounds, or misses a shot. The other person gets the point.
• Whoever is serving continues serving until the score reaches 40.
• If the score is tied at 40 (”40-all”), that is “deuce,” which is  another word for tie. To break the tie, someone must win two points in a row.  If  a server at deuce wins the next point, then it’s  ” ad-in” which means “server’s advantage.” If the opponent wins, it goes back to deuce, and someone again must win by two points in a row. Yes, this could go on forever.
• Once the game is over, the serve switches to the opposing player. After even numbered games  players switch sides of the court.

Scoring a Set

• Before the first serve in each new game,  the score in sets is announced with the server’s score first.
• To complete a set, someone must win six games; the first person to win six games wins the set.
• However, as with “deuce,” players must win a set by at least two games. So, if the score is 6-5, the person with 5 must win by two games. If the score ties at 6-6, a tiebreaker is played.

Scoring the Match

• The match is determined by the best two out of three sets. So whoever wins two sets, wins the match. If each player wins a set,  a third set is played to determine the winner.

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Lingo

Want to know the difference between a drop shot and a foot fault?  You can learn all you need to know to speak tennis here.

And if you’re ready to jump onto the court and play, here are a few tips to help your game.

What to wear

The right kind of shoes are important.  Though running shoes offer a cushioned sole, they don’t offer enough support for the side-to-side movement demanded in tennis.

You may not want to immediately  splurge on a new pair of tennies, but check the regulations at the court where you’ll be playing, since many don’t allow dark-soled shoes that could scuff the court.  If you own a pair of cross trainers, wear those instead of running shoes, as they offer better support.

Warming-up

• Warm up before playing.  Jog for five to ten minutes to get your blood flowing. Your body should feel warm.  Do a few grapevines the length of the court to wake up your coordination.
• Walking lunges are a great way to prepare your legs for tennis. This simultaneously lengthens and activates muscles in your legs, priming them for the court.
• Twisting is the major action of the torso when hitting the ball. A standing twist stretch is easy to do against the fence of the court. Follow with some basic twisting from side to side to lubricate the joints in the back. You can try this with your racquet tucked under your arms, behind your back.
• Warming up your shoulders is also essential. Move your arms as if you’re doing the backstroke, circling your arms overhead slowly at first and building up speed for 20 repetitions. Follow this by clapping your hands in front and in back of your body.

How do you get to centre court?

It’s sometimes hard to hear but there is no substitute for practice.  The more you practice, the easier it is to play well when it counts. Remember to get to the court early so you can prepare your body before you start to play and don’t get discouraged.

Etiquette

Remember that tennis has a reputation for being a very polite sport.  While it’s less stuffy than it used to be, there are many niceties you need to know so be sure to learn the proper etiquette before you start batting the balls over the night.  Here are a couple must-know rules:

• If you arrive while other people are playing, wait until the point is over before passing behind to get to your court.
• If your ball rolls into the adjacent court, don’t run after it. Wait for your neighbor to return the ball when it’s convenient. If a ball rolls onto your court, toss it back to the player it belongs to.
• If you have any doubt about whether a ball is out, make the call in favor of your opponent.
• At the end of the game, shake hands with your opponents.

Game on!

Wimbledon – Williams sisters win doubles

Three-and-a-half hours after the women’s singles final at Wimbledon, Venus and Serena Williams took to Centre Court again but this time they were on the same side of the net.

The Williams sisters  put sibling rivalry them to win the women’s doubles title in emphatic style.

As the sun dipped down behind Centre Court’s roof, the Serena and Venus teamed up to win their fourth Wimbledon women’s doubles title, defeating Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs of Australia 7-6 6-4.

It was consolation of sorts for Venus, who had lost the women’s singles final to her sister earlier in the day.

Serena beat her older sibling 7-6 6-2 to deny her a hat-trick of Wimbledon singles titles, while at the same time claiming a third Sw19 crown of her own.

Venus has now lost six of the eight grand slam singles finals she has played against Serena, three of them at Wimbledon.

Still, it was a good day for the American ladies.

Serena, when asked about her motivation and attempt to regain the world No. 1 ranking said:

You know, I’m not super motivated. I think if you hold three Grand Slam titles maybe you should be No. 1, but not on the WTA Tour obviously, so…

You know, my motivation is maybe just to win another Grand Slam and stay No. 2, I guess (laughter).

(Note: Despite being eliminated in the semifinals at Wimbledon, Dinara Safina remains No. 1 in the WTA rankings. Go figure).

Power Play: Wimbledon final an all-Williams affair

No surprise here.

Reigning champion Venus Williams demolished world number one Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0 to set up a clash with her sister Serena in the Wimbledon final.

The five-time Wimbledon champion was in perfect form and brushed aside the first seeded Russian in under an hour while barely breaking a sweat.

Williams began the match with a serve of 112mph, and followed it with the fastest delivery of the tournament at 124mph to consolidate her early break in the second game.  She needed only 51 minutes to demolish Safina and reach her eighth Wimbledon final.

Earlier, Serena Williams beat Elena Dementieva in an epic contest on Centre Court  to set up the fourth all-sister Wimbledon final and eighth meeting in a Grand Slam title match.

Two-time champion Serena saved a match point and overcame Elena Dementieva 6-7 (4), 7-5, 8-6 in 2 hours, 49 minutes – the longest women’s semifinal at Wimbledon in at least 40 years.

Though pushed to the limit by the fourth-seeded Dementieva,  Serena raised her game when she needed in one of the most compelling women’s matches at the All England Club in years. During the course of the match, Serena served 20 aces – the most for a woman at Wimbledon since 2000.

The Williams sisters – who hold 17 Grand Slam titles between them – will face each other Saturday on the Fourth of July.

One Williams or the other has won seven of the past nine championships at the All England Club. Serena beat Venus in the 2002 and ‘03 finals here, while Venus came out on top against her younger sister last year.

Venus is bidding to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row.

There have been seven previous all-Williams championship matches at majors, with Serena holding a 5-2 lead. Overall, the sisters are tied 10-10.

The irony is that despite suffering a disgraceful defeat, Safina will remain the world number one regardless of whether Venus or Serena Williams seals victory in the final on Saturday.

Who are you rooting for?

Wimbledon – Williams sisters through to semis

It’s the USA against Russia in the Wimbledon women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday.

The world top four players have all won their quarter-final matches setting the stage for a possible all Williams final.

First, Venus Williams dismantled 20-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in 1 hour 8 minutes. Then there was a short break and then Serena Williams, on Centre Court, made it two sisters in the semifinals.

With Venus watching, number two seed Serena took out Victoria Azarenka, the 19-year-old from Belarus, 6-2, 6-3.

Serena will play Elena Dementieva after the Russian fourth seed came through 6-2, 6-2 against Francesca Schiavone of Italy.

Top seed Dinara Safina will face the defending champion Venus.

With Serena’s  10 Grand Slam victories to Venus’s 7, could it be another Venus vs. Serena final? It’s looking that way.

Wimbledon drops ‘Miss’ from scoreboards

Wimbledon has always been known for its strict standards of etiquette. Organizers of the tournament like things to be done just so, like insisting players wear predominantly white.

But nothing is sacred and some traditions have been scrapped in recent years. Players have not had to bow or curtsy to the royal box when entering and leaving Centre Court since 2003.

This year another formality has been dropped. For the first time in the tournament’s 132-year history female tennis players are no longer referred to as “Miss” or “Mrs” on scoreboards.

Insiders suggest the tradition has been dropped to bring the women’s game in line with the men’s (women now get paid the same as men at Wimbledon), and because not using first names can become confusing if sisters are playing each other.

“There is no official line on this,” says a spokeswoman for Wimbledon. “It’s something that we’ve just changed this year. It’s actually gone completely unnoticed, until now.”

Up until this year women players had been referred to as “Miss” or “Mrs” and no first names were used, according to the All England Club. The title “Ms” has never been used.

When the Williams sisters played each other, the initials from their first names were used to differentiate who was who. Now, first names will regularly replace social titles.

But the use of titles has not been completely consigned to the record books. Women players are still referred to as “Miss” or “Mrs” by umpires during games.

American teen Oudin upsets Jankovic at Wimbledon

About now is when Wimbledon get’s interesting.

And to prove the point, American teenager Melanie Oudin pulled off the biggest upset of the first week today, beating former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-2.

The No. 6-seeded Jankovic, who was last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, struggled with the heat and was plagued by erratic groundstrokes, while the 17-year-old Oudin played with poise down the stretch and swept the final three games.

Oudin arrived in London with an 0-2 record in Grand Slam matches, and she had to win three qualifying matches to make Wimbledon’s main draw for the first time. She’s ranked 124th and will crack the top 100 for the first time after the tournament.

Playing on Court 3, she wore down Jankovic in an arduous first set. Oudin failed to convert four set points, committing an unforced error each time, but when the 66-minute set ended, it was Jankovic who appeared on the ropes.
A trainer and doctor came on court to check Jankovic. She rested on a towel while being treated, and after several minutes sat up while ice was applied to her neck.

Jankovic played on, but the match turned when Oudin overcame a 5-4 deficit in the second set. She repeatedly won points with drop shots, punctuating winners with shouts of «Come on!» The teenager smacked a forehand winner on the final point, then raised her arms in celebration.

Meanwhile, five-time champion Venus Williams joined Oudin in the round of 16 by beating the 34th ranked Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-4. The two played only once before, when Suarez Navarro upset Williams in the second round at the Australian Open in January.

Williams, whose younger sister Serena reached the round of 16 by winning Friday, meets 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic for a berth in the quarterfinals. Ivanovic advanced by defeating French Open semifinalist Samantha Stosur 7-5, 6-2.

Williams is trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win three consecutive titles at the All England Club. The No. 3-seeded Williams is bidding for her sixth Wimbledon championship overall.

Happy Birthday, Venus Williams

Seventeen Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and a host of other championships  make Venus Williams one of the most recognizable figures in professional tennis.

The birthday girl’s resume off the court is nearly as impressive as her on court accomplishments. She’s launched her own line of clothing, founded an interior design company and has been named one of America’s most powerful women by Ladies Home Journal

Venus Williams was born June 17, 1980, in Lynwood, Calif., to Richard and Oracene Williams. Growing up in Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles, Venus and her younger sister Serena displayed talent as they “practiced with dead balls on cracked courts,” wrote Sports Illustrated.

By age 10, Venus was winning tournaments, and in 1991, the Williams clan relocated to Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., where the young phenoms began training full-time. The sisters’ careers were carefully managed by Richard and Venus turned pro at age 14.

Venus played her first full season on the WTA Tour in 1997 and won her first pro tournament a year later.  The following year won two grand slams. She and Serena became two of the tour’s top players, and also formed one of the best doubles teams. In 2002, Venus became the No. 1 ranked women’s player in the world, the first African-American to achieve that status.

Williams has thus far won seven grand slam tournaments: two U.S. Open titles and five Wimbledon titles. At 29, she remains one of the best players on the women’s tour.

Off the court, Venus Williams studied fashion design at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. In November 2007, she launched a line of sporty clothing and accessories, including footwear, called EleVen.

She and Serena founded the Venus and Serena Williams Tutorial/Tennis Academy in Los Angeles, providing tennis lessons to inner-city children. The academy provides not only on-court instruction, but also tutoring and assistance in applying to colleges.

Venus, who is one of the best paid athletes in the world,  has one the fastest serve in the women’s game – 129 mph. She  also stars in Virtua Tennis, a popular video game.

Happy Birthday Venus!! Hope the day is as special as you are!!

Profile

Name :	Venus Williams
Profession :	Tennis Player
Date of Birth :	June 17, 1980
Place of Birth :	Lynwood, California, USA
Plays :	Right-handed
Career Titles :	25

Williams’ sisters, WNBA players nominated for BET Female Athlete of the Year

The 2009 BET Awards will be hosted by Jamie Foxx and aired live from Los Angeles, California on June 28th.

So who will walk away with the “Best Female Athlete”? Will your pick for “Best Actress” make her way to the podium? Find out when artists and trailblazers all gather under one roof to celebrate the achievements of the most influential African Americans in music, acting, sports and entertainment.

Beyonce, always a showstopper, is back this year for her sixth BET Awards performance.

We’re closely watching the Female Athlete of the Year contest. Nominees are an All-Star list including the tennis-playing Williams sisters along with WNBA players Tamika Catchings, Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker. These fierce competitors are all at the top of their games, but only one can win.

In entertainment categories, Best Actress of the Year nominees include Angela Basset, Rosario Dawson,Taraji P. Henson, Jennifer Hudson and and BET performer Beyonce Knowles.

The Best Female Hip Hop Artist list includes Lil Mama, M.I.A. and Trina. The A-List group of divas duking it out for Best Female R&B Artist include Beyonce, Keyshia Cole, Keri Hilson, Jennifer Hudson and Jazmin Sullivan.

Keri Hilson, M.I.A. and Jazmin Sullivan are also up for Best New Artist.

Will your faves win? They’re all fierce divas and competitors worthy of a statue so tune in to the BET on June 28. Recognize excellence!

Venus Williams stops traffic in Miami

Three-time Sony Ericsson champion Venus Williams and British number one Andy Murray kicked off the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open with a little “Traffic Tennis” atop two SUV’s on Miami’s Ocean Drive.

Thankfully for both stars, the game was only promotional and served only as a warm-up for this year’s Sony Ericsson Open, which begins tomorrow.

The Miami tournament, running March 25 – April 5, will open play on the purple courts with World No. 1 Rafael Nadal (who defeated Murray last week in the BNP Paribas final) looking to win his first title in Miami.

With 48 of the world’s top 50 players involved in Miami, both Williams and Murray face a tough task to win one of the more gruelling but lucrative tournaments on the circuit.

Dressed in a bright pink and purple tennis dress, Venus proved she is up for some serious competition against younger sister Serena, currently World No.1.

Twenty-seven-year-old Serena will be aiming to maintain her No.1 ranking as she begins her quest for a sixth title in Miami against either Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky or US wild card Alexa Glatch.

Maria Sharapova had to withdraw from this week’s Open due to a nagging shoulder injury, but fans still have chance to see and meet her in South Florida.

MaSha will make a personal appearance, greet her fans and sign autographs at Cole Haan in Village of Merrick Park on the first floor of Nordstrom in Coral Gables, Florida on Wednesday, March 25th from 2 to 3 p.m. Fans can also enter a contest to win one of five prizes of tickets to the Sony Ericsson Open and a Cole Haan handbag.

Looks like a little of something for everyone.

Dubai winner Venus Williams is Pretty Tough

Venus Williams defeated France’s Virginie Razzano 6-4, 6-2 at the Dubai Tennis Championships to win her first title of the season .

The victory gave Venus her 40th career singles title and was the seventh triumph in her last eight finals. Her last title came at the WTA Championships in Doha in November.

A day earlier, Venus upset sister Serena 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 to reach the final while the unseeded Razzano  put out 16th seed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-1, 6-2 to move on to the title match.

Venus will return to the Top 5 from sixth for the first time since the week of August 25, 2003.

When questioned if she might also replace her younger sibling at the top of the rankings, Venus said “Well I would love to be the best in the world – and I am coming. So I am going to try.”

So how does Venus prep to become one of the best tennis players in the world? Well one thing she does is balance her intense training by getting in touch with her girly side. Check out this photo shoot she recently did with Marie Claire.  Maybe the underwater glamour tennis shots are a cross-training secret that will help put her on top.

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